Text: John 8:31–36 · Date: July 26, 2026 · Speaker: Ed Rangel · Waupaca Church of Christ
Sin rules the person who yields to it, but the Son gives true freedom to those who receive His truth and continue in His word.
The controlling question
You are not free merely because nobody tells you no. If anger, lust, bitterness, or approval commands you, you have a master. Calling the chain a choice does not break it.
Follow the text
I. True disciples continue in Christ’s word — John 8:31–32
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”John 8:31–32 (NASB 1995)
A beginning does not guarantee the end. Continuing means remaining under Christ’s word when it comforts, corrects, exposes, or commands.
II. Sin enslaves the person who claims to be free — John 8:33–34
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”John 8:34 (NASB 1995)
Religious history cannot excuse present rebellion. Sin promises pleasure or relief, then demands secrecy, dishonesty, and another surrender.
III. Only the Son can make the slave free — John 8:35–36
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”John 8:36 (NASB 1995)
The slave cannot remove his guilt or secure his standing. Jesus breaks sin’s claim through His death and resurrection and gives a new life of obedience.
Work through the passage
What does Jesus place before the evidence of true discipleship in verse 31?
Why must the promise of verse 32 remain connected to Christ and His word?
What defense do Jesus’ hearers use in verse 33? What similar defense might a Christian use today?
According to verse 34, what does sin do to the person who yields to it?
Personal study · John 8:31–36
Bring the Chain Into the Light
Use this page to move from hearing the truth to obeying it.
Identify the master
The sin I excuse
What it promises
What it commands
What it leaves behind
Test the claim of freedom
Read Romans 6:16–18. How does obedience reveal the master a person serves?
Why is life under Christ’s authority true liberty rather than another cruel bondage?
How does James 1:25 join liberty with abiding in God’s word and doing it?
Take the next act of obedience
RemoveWhat access, object, account, or setting must be removed?
ConfessWhat secret must be brought into the light, and to whom?
RepairWhat apology, restitution, or neglected duty must be addressed?
Seek helpWhich mature Christian will pray, ask questions, and help you remain faithful?
Continue in Christ’s word for seven days
Passage
The lie exposed
The truth received
Today’s obedience
Respond to the Son: If you are outside Christ, hear His word, believe in Him, repent of your sins, confess His name, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. If you are a Christian who has returned to an old chain, repent, confess it, remove what feeds it, and seek the prayers and help of the church.
Memory verse“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” — John 8:36